Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-08-27

ore | saw on this trip. doubt
If deposits any way approch,
ing them exist, all things taken into
consideration, in America, with pos
sibiy the Lake Superior iron beds ex.
cepted. This brown hematite, you
must understand, Is the superior iron.
Out of 1t are made car-wheels, the
finer quality of boiler plates and all
iron manufactures in which great
strength, durability and tenacity are
desired. 1t excels In every way the
ores of Alabama and produces a
vastly better grade of metal. 1t Is
true there Is some brown hematite
In the vicinity of Birmingham, but
it is found in pockets and Is soon ex-
hausted. Up here, where | was yes
terday, the supply Is practically iI-
exhaustible. Why, man, 1t lies in
ledges. | saw blocks of 1t thirty feet
high and don't know how thick.
There Is absolutely no end to 1t. Be
sides, this ore Is exceptionally rich
and fat. l cannot tell you how much
! was surprised, nor yet how much /
was delighted by the magnificent
display of mineral wealth / beheld.
/ never imagined, to tell the truth
about it, that it existed ON this con-
tinent.
"Then," continued the Major,
mote how easy of access it is. The
heaviest deposits are not more than
half a mile away from the river, and
a tramway could be cheaply made to
carry the ore, after it is mined, to the
banks of the Tennessee and dump 1t
into barges afi0at. There is not
another place, l am satisfied, in the
world where so rich a deposit is so
easy to get at and can be so readily
taken to market.
81 was asked yesterday at what
price the ore could be delivered at a
furnBce here in Paducah. / replied
probably $1.25 per ton. have been
thinking the matter over since and
am now fully convinced that the ore
can be mined and boated to Paducah
at an expense of 81. per ton. That
is phenomenally cheap mining, can
tell you. Ore connot be got out at
these figures at any other place i
know of.
"Then between Paducah and the
iron fields is an endless abundance of
limestone for fiuxing purposes. The
people here do not know what adj
vantages they are surrounded with.
Why, look at them. Here you have
a river emptying into another larger
river right in front of you. This
river is navigable every day in the
year. On its banks, in addition to
these Splendid iron deposits, there
are inexhaustible supplies of the fin
est and most valuable hard wood
timbers in North America; q rich
and fertile farming country, capable
of producing almost every crop
raised on the continent. Then the
Chesapeake 4 Ohio Railroad-your
own line here-runs right through
some of the best coal fields in Ken
tucky. Besides, the new roads across
the Ohio penetrate the vast coal de-
posits of Southern Illinois. This set
Ties the question of fuel. Coal can
be had here as cheaply as in Pitts
burgh. Yes, sir, Paducah has all the
elements to make great manufact-
uring city. Her facilities for water
transportation of the raw material to
her doors and for carrying the manu-
factured product to the markets Of
the world, north, south, east or west,
are positively unexcclled. / do not
know of any town anywhere which
can make even show of rivalling
her."
"Then you are pleased with Padu-
cah, Major?" interpolated the re-
porter as that gentleman paused for
breath.
"Pleased wife it? / am delighted
with it. This is the first time ] was
ever here; and have passed it on the
river and always supposed it was
about such town as Cairo or Smith
land. Never dreamed of finding
such a fine little city and never
thought of the advantages
of her surroundings and re-
sources. Yes, sir, l emphatically be-
lieve in the future of Paducah. And
will emphathize my faith by in
vesting some money in the place. /
am going to take $4,000 stock in
blast furnaces here to start with, and
| am going to make strong effect to
induce some of my friends to take
stock in it. / know they would do
it unhesitatingly if they were to see
what / have seen, and I'll have some
of them down here looking over the
field in a short time.
"Ehis same brown hematite," con-
tinued the Major running back on to
the question of Tennessee iron again,
sis that out of which the Hillmans
made their boiler iron plates. !
know that iron had underworld
fame for strength and tenacity. No
other iron has ever been found that
approaches the manufacture of the
Bessemer steel and makes the very
best"
In future conversation with the re-
ported he expressed the utmost con-
ndence in his ability to persuade his
old associates to join him in this new
scheme as soon as they understand
the resources and advantages possess
ed by this city. His relations with
George NJ. Pullman, the many-times
millionare president of the Pullman
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